October 30, 2008

RAMS IN MUST-WIN SITUATION FOR SEASON FINALE AT JMU
Black and Gold need a win and Northeastern loss to make CAA Tournament

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Last season, the Virginia Commonwealth University women’s soccer team shined brightest when its backs were up against the wall.

The Rams are hoping for the same outcome this year as VCU makes the short trip west to take on the Dukes of James Madison in a must-win game for the Black and Gold.

In the final night of the regular season in the Colonial Athletic Association, the Rams must pick up a win on the road and need Hofstra to defeat Northeastern in order to make their 14th straight CAA Tournament appearance.

With a win and some help, the Black and Gold will either travel back up to Harrisonburg next Tuesday evening or the other direction on I-64 to Williamsburg to take on William & Mary.

VCU will need to find its offensive attack as the Rams have struggled only scoring one goal in the past three contests. Sophomore Laurel Pastor (Springfield, Va.) has been outstanding of late scoring five of VCU’s last six goals.

Senior Samara Stephen-Dowd (Vienna, Va.) will be relied upon to anchor the Black and Gold’s backline as the Dukes possess a potent offense that has scored the second-most goals per game in the CAA with a 2.11 mark.

Last year, the Rams notched a dominating 3-0 victory at home against James Madison with Pastor, senior Megan Flanagan (Franktown, Colo.) and junior June Hartman (Virginia Beach, Va.) each tallying a goal in that game.